Royal Akarana Yacht Club is calling boats north again, with the 2026 Doyle Sails Cavalli Islands Race set to send crews on a 275 nautical mile round trip from Auckland to the top of Northland and back, all for a shot at the Yates Cup.
The route pushes as far as Motuhakeke Island, out near Māngonui in the Far North, before crews turn south for the run home. Little Barrier Island and the Poor Knights both get rounded along the way, and the course swings east to Channel Island, tucked between Port Jackson at the top of the Coromandel and the southern edge of Great Barrier Island, before the final leg back to Auckland.
Entries close at midnight on Monday 16 November, and while the full fleet list is still to be confirmed, two familiar names are already locked in. Damon Jolliffe is bringing Motorboat III back after taking line honours in 2025, and Ryan McCready will campaign Physical Favours again following a strong handicap result last time out.
Nine yachts lined up for last year’s edition, and the racing they produced set a high bar. Motorboat III, Jolliffe’s fully crewed 2005 Thomson 1150, was the smallest boat among the frontrunners but crossed first in 46 hours 40 minutes. Graham Matthews’ Botin Carkeek 55 Equilibrium, also fully crewed, was just six minutes adrift in second, with Guy Chester’s Crowther 40 trimaran Ocean’s Tribute, sailed out of Queensland, a further nine minutes behind in third.
The handicap results flipped the script entirely. Double-handed sailing dominated the PHRF standings, with Rowan Smith and Lydia Boyd’s Carpe Diem posting the best corrected time of the fleet at 41 hours 28 minutes. Brendan Sands’ Kick was next on handicap in 42 hours 8 minutes, followed by McCready’s own Physical Favours in 43 hours 18 minutes.
For several of last year’s double-handed entries, the race doubled as a qualifier for the 2026 Doyle’s Round North Island Double Handed Yacht Race, adding an extra layer of stakes to an already tight contest.
